Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 78: Might and Magic (Part I)

—Julius's POV—

And so, in the blink of an eye, with Neris's victory on her duel against Morgan marking the end of the quarter-finals, it was time for the semi-finals to begin. Only four participants remained.

Although we should be celebrating the fact that we managed to get this far without many issues, we simply couldn't bring ourselves in to do so as the quarter-finals had been marked by loss.

Only Neris and I remained on our table. What was previously a lively table of seven people was now reduced to just the two of us.

Cassandra, Reina, Zoe, Myria, and Felicia had all been sent to the infirmary.

Cassandra and Reina disqualified each other, while I managed to defeat Zoe. Felicia gave her all during her match and fought to the bitter end, while Myria wasn't even given a chance to fight by her opponent.

Renard Caprasania. That is the name of my opponent as well as the one that disqualified Myria. Even though his methods were not against the rules, I can't help but feel angry towards him.

I am very aware that this is a tournament and that most participants would do everything in their power to win. I also know that the chances of Myria or any of us being disqualified were high. After all, that's the purpose of this tournament. To see who is the strongest and skilled out of all the participants.

Logically, I know all that… I know that I shouldn't be angry at Renard for using his resources to win against Myria in a swift manner… But, I just can't help it.

The moment when I saw that Myria was unable to fight back, the anger simply seemed to burst out from within.

It was just like that time with Gideon and his underlings when they were threatening my sisters, or that time with those adventurers back in Norvek who had also threatened my sisters…

That raw and powerful rage simply took hold of me. The three Goddesses had to intervene and calm me down before I tried anything stupid, and if it wasn't for them, I really could have done something stupid…

Frankly, while that rage felt good at that moment, now it just feels discomforting and somewhat frightening…

Lia and Thiasis once said that my emotions were unstable due to them blocking my memories twice and also because of my reincarnation… The fact that I've also been recovering some of my memories of Gliosis the last few days doesn't really help either…

Am I still that emotionally unstable? I honestly don't know what to think of that or what I should answer, but…

(Have you calmed down yet?) Catris asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

(Yes. All thanks to you three…) I said in an apologetic tone.

(While I am glad that you worry about your new fiancées and all, I think it is very cute in fact, you need to control yourself. You can't just stare at someone as if you were about to murder them or walk to them and actually try that just because they defeated someone you care about! This is a tournament! That is the whole purpose of this all!) Thiasis decided to reprimand me. It was a rare event to behold.

(Thiasis is right, you know? Renard did exactly what he needed to do to achieve a quick victory.) Lia agreed with her counterpart. (Even if it pains me to say this about Myria, she was no match for Renard. She was lucky before, since she was blessed with matches that were comparable to her level of skill in combat. But that kind of luck is not enough to win against someone who has more experience dueling and already has a strategy in mind to deal with her. I'm afraid it was only a matter of time.) Lia gave her honest thoughts about the matter.

(I know all that… I'm sorry.) I apologized. (And thank you for stopping me before.) I didn't forget to thank the Goddesses.

The Goddesses were right. About me having to control myself better and about Myria's disqualification…

If she had somehow managed to win against Renard, we would have faced each other afterward… Would I hold back my strength to allow her to win?

(You wouldn't. She wouldn't have liked that either.) Lia answered my question. (With her current level of strength, she wouldn't stand a chance against you, and she knew it. She knew that her defeat was imminent.) She explained.

(But that doesn't mean she can't be proud that she made it this far. I think I can speak for all of us, including you as well, that we are all proud of her, aren't we?) Catris chimed in and tried to reassure me. (You should feel happy that she was able to get some confidence in herself during her time in the tournament. And it was all thanks to you giving her some tough love!) Catris said in an encouraging manner.

(I suppose you're right… I can't argue about that. I am really proud of Myria. Though if it wasn't for you three, I wouldn't have been able to talk to her in her mind during her first match. Thank you.) I thanked Catris as well as Lia and Thiasis once more.

Due to the three Goddesses, I certainly felt way calmer than before.

(No worries!) Catris giggled in response.

(Now that we're done with the whole reassuring/scolding part, it is time for your match, champ.) Thiasis seemed satisfied after scolding me.

(You need to remember to stay calm and keep your focus.) Lia made sure to remind me not to lose my cool.

(Yep! What she said!) Catris agreed. (Now go out there and make us proud!) She said with her usual happy-go-lucky attitude.

(And don't forget to kick your opponent's butt and show them who's boss!) Thiasis had suddenly gotten extremely fired up. (The fact that we were scolding you shouldn't stop you from demolishing the competition!) She was really excited about the upcoming match.

With the encouragement of the goddesses, it was time for me to finally face Renard in the semifinals.

“Julius, are you alright? They called your name just a moment ago.” Neris asked. “Are you feeling nervous about your match?” She placed her hand on my shoulder and looked at me with worry on her face.

“Sorry. I was a bit lost in thought… If I’m being honest, I was just trying to calm myself down.” I said to Neris while shaking my head.

“Yeah, I noticed that…” Neris smiled awkwardly in response. “I can’t really blame you, it really took me a while to calm myself down. If we are both being honest, I was a little angry when Myria was eliminated, but after Alberis effortlessly defeated Felicia, I couldn’t help but feel frightened about the idea of having to face him if I won my match… For a moment, I considered yielding to Morgan just so, I wouldn’t have to face him.” Neris was open with me about her fears.

“But you’re here, aren’t you? Are you still afraid of facing your cousin?” I smiled at Neris.

“Somewhat…” Neris averted her gaze while speaking nervously. “I must say, that if you weren’t here with me in the semifinals, then I would really be afraid. Your presence is comforting to me.” Neris visibly blushed while shooting a few glances at me.

“That’s good to know, Neris. Then I might as well make sure we both reach the finals.” I said confidently while holding her hand. “The time to hold back has come to an end. Neris, I will give my all in my best match, so I will only ask you to do the same on your next match. Even if you’re afraid and your opponent is stronger than you, give your all and fight to the very end. With your skills with the sword, I know that you can give Alberis a hard time.” I said as I stood up from my seat while adjusting the new uniform I had been given by Dante between the matches.

“Do you really believe that?” Neris asked shyly. “He has his [Evil Eyes of Foresight]... I’m confident in my swordplay, but he will be able to predict each and every single one of my moves… I frankly don’t know how to deal with his troublesome ability…” She was honest with me about her worries.

“As I said, just do your best, Neris.” I smiled at her before turning my back to her and looked at the center of the arena. “What’s the problem if he can predict your attacks? You just need to overwhelm his senses to the point he can’t predict those attacks accurately. You only need one of your attacks to land to defeat him.” I shared with Neris the hint I had received from Felicia before she was disqualified.

With those final words, I left the table to go to the center of the arena.

Right. Just as Neris explained to me before, Alberis has the ability to see the future. I am still not certain of how far exactly he is able to peer into the future and to what extent, but I am sure that is well beyond twenty seconds. His ability allowed him to predict each move Felicia made and counter it in the most efficient manner, almost appearing as if he had read her mind right before she even made a move.

But his ability is not the only issue about him. Judging by the way he moved and the way he was using his sword, I can tell that he is just as skilled as Neris. He also held back by quite a lot, especially considering that he fought Felicia who was using [Fighting Spirit] combined with [Limit Break] without ever activating his own [Fighting Spirit] or using magic, only his sword...

Everything combined explains why he is considered the strongest in the Blaise Academy. Saying that he is a troublesome opponent would be an understatement. 

A formidable enemy capable of gazing into the future who is still hiding much of his strength… Anyone would be frightened to face such odds, however, I managed to discover a critical weakness, all thanks to Felicia.

Evil Eyes such as Alberis’s are mutations caused either by mana or genetics. These mutations occur mostly during pregnancy, but said mutations present themselves much later during infancy. These mutations grant the user special magical abilities such as pyrokinesis, petrification, paralysis, or foresight, which is the mutation that Alberis has.

Now, the critical flaw I mentioned before about Alberis’s ability has to be the amount of information that his brain needs to process whenever his ability is used. Everything those eyes see, whether it is the present or the future, is information that the brain must process.

Thus, the only way to overcome Alberis’s [Evil Eye of Foresight] is to overwhelm his senses as much as humanly possible. Alberis is only human, so there’s a limit for his brain’s capacity of processing information.

So, in layman’s terms, even if Alberis can see the future, with enough attacks he will eventually make a fatal blunder as long as you manage to overwhelm him.

“You’re finally here, the champion of the princesses.” A young man spoke to me as soon as I reached the center of the arena, just as I had finished reviewing my knowledge about Neris’s opponent. 

That young man was Renard.

 “Sorry about that. I was just a little nervous, that’s all.” I said playfully before bowing to my opponent. “Greetings. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, My Lord.” However I may have felt about him, I still had to show proper etiquette.

"Likewise. I was looking forward to finally facing the son of the Skull Crusher in battle. I expect a great battle from you." Renard said proudly.

"I hope not to disappoint." I replied humbly.

Careful with what you wish for, Renard. You'll get the battle you were expecting soon enough.

(Remillia.) I channeled my thoughts into my weapon.

<Yes Master?> Dying Scarlet answered instantly.

(As soon as the match begins, you can turn back into a scythe. We are not holding anything back.) I said to the sentient weapon.

<Oh! That means that I get to have some of your blood now?> The weapon asked with glee.

(Not yet. I'd rather save that for the finals, but if things get too troublesome, I might have to let you have a few drops of blood. As long as it doesn't kill me…) I reluctantly agreed to my weapon's wishes. I couldn’t help but remember an unpleasant sensation.

<Good enough for me. I've been eager to show my real power ever since this tournament started!> Remillia was as excited as a sentient weapon could be.

"Very well, now that you're acquainted with each other, it is time for you to decide your desired battlefield." Raphael said. He seemed to be looking forward to the match.

"And you better agree on the same scenario because I won't even bother to try and toss that coin anymore." Dante looked incredibly annoyed.

"That is not a problem, Professor. Since I am the oldest between us, it is only fair that I grant my opponent the honor to choose a place for our duel." Renard spoke politely to Dante. "How does that sound, Skull Kid?" He then looked at me and smiled.

"That is very kind of you, My Lord. I hope that you don't mind if I take you up on your word." I replied politely. I had already made up my mind about the place I wanted to fight in. "Professor, if it is not any trouble, I want to fight in the Ruined District." I stated the place I wanted while looking at Renard. 

"Hmm… I see." He wasn't bothered in the slightest with my choice. "Are you perhaps looking to avenge the dwarven priestess from before? I didn't take you for someone who would care much for a person they met in a day." He was still speaking in a polite manner, but there was a hint of pride mixed in his polite tone.

"Nothing like that, My Lord. If I were to hold a grudge towards you, I can assure you that we wouldn't be having this conversation and our duel would already be over." His words annoyed me a bit, but I didn't let it show. "As for your thoughts on me… It is clear that you haven't really paid attention to me as you should have been. I fight for my friends." I smiled back in the most polite yet challenging smile I could make.

“Bold words, Skull Kid. We will see if you can actually live up to them.” Renard said, his smile had faded in an instant.

Tensions quickly grew between us, and none really said a word to remedy the situation. There was nothing more to say, from now on, our weapons would be the ones doing the talking to settle our differences.

"Alright, alright… Whether the two of you have a score to settle or not, it is irrelevant to me right now. I will be teleporting you two to your desired battlefield now." Dante spoke with mild annoyance. "Oh please, just make sure to give us a proper spectacle. It is the semifinals, after all." He said right before snapping his fingers.

Just like the previous times, the world was enveloped in white while everything around was shaking in a violent manner. That phenomenon only lasted mere moments. By the time it was over, I found myself in a new location.

The Ruined District. A place that I was yet to visit in the capital, and the place where Myria had fought her duel and lost.

This location was filled with moss covered buildings and ruins that had been left to crumble during the last two decades. The stony streets were full of cracks, and some of the alleyways nearby were fully blocked with debris.

This was the perfect place to use guerrilla tactics.

After doing an initial scan of the battlefield, I quickly searched for my opponent, only for me to realize that I was already under attack.

I was attacked in the same manner that Myria was. A huge water ball flew towards me at an incredible speed, while countless vines tried to steal away my freedom by coiling around my limbs.

My opponent's efforts to catch me by surprise were met with little to no success as I vaporized the water ball with fire magic and erased the vines out of existence with wind magic.

"Well, that was rude." I said with mild annoyance while looking at the young man with glasses standing a few paces away from me.

"Interesting... I didn't think you'd be able to react and use magic to counter my attack so quickly. It appears that you almost have a casting speed comparable to mine." He said after adjusting his glasses.

"It seems that someone is underestimating me. I won't fall for a trick that I have already seen once." I spoke in a playful manner.

"Underestimating you? I'm not the one to commit such blunders. I was merely testing whether you managed to reach this stage by pure luck or by skill." Renard shrugged before replying.

"And your conclusions?" I asked.

"I might need to put in a little bit more effort than usual." He said while channeling mana in his staff. "Now… I wonder what weapon you will use this time. Will it be the bow? Or the sword? Or perhaps, do you intend to engage in a magical duel with me with that staff you used against the Smotia girl? Regardless of your choice, I have already prepared several countermeasures to deal with you and each of your weapons." Renard declared with a confident smirk.

"Oh? Is that so?" I couldn't help but smile with glee thanks to what Renard had said. It was time for me to take Renard by surprise with my actual weapon.

I made sure to take a good look at him before stretching my right hand to summon Remillia. A small and pale red light suddenly came out from my chest before it was shot towards my hand. As soon as I caught it, the light grew in intensity until it became a blinding scarlet.

It was then that Dying Scarlet, one of the Five Abyssal Weapons, had finally materialized in its true form. A long bright red scythe which towered over me by a considerable margin, yet I could hold and manipulate the weapon with ease.

“I wonder if you have countermeasures to deal with this one as well?” I asked as I saw Renard’s grin disappear from his face.

“It was a very low possibility, but it was within my expectations for you to have another weapon hidden up your sleeve.” Renard’s expression grew more and more serious the more he stared at Dying Scarlet. “This might prove to be problematic…” He adjusted his glasses as he grasped his staff.

“I believe the time for talking is now over, My Lord.” I smiled as I skillfully spun Dying Scarlet around me.

<Let us begin this dance, my master. Let us show this human his place in the pecking order... It is time for the new Demon King to begin his rule!> Remillia's voice echoed in my mind. She seemed extremely excited about the battle ahead…

“I’ll be counting on you then, Remi.” I whispered to my weapon. “Here I go! You better not hold anything back, Renard Caprasania!” I immediately dashed towards my opponent after steeling my resolve.

And so, the semi finals had truly begun. It was time for me to take down the guy who had disqualified my friend.

Naturally, after he saw me dash at him, Renard reacted with much haste. He quietly used a wind spell to blast himself off and gain some distance away from me. 

In the blink of an eye, he had managed to make a huge gap between us. I could have easily caught up to him with my own magic, but I was being careful and trying not to underestimate my opponent in the slightest.

“Even if you have an unknown weapon, it won’t be enough to defeat me! Prepare to enjoy the bitter taste of defeat, Skull Kid!” Renard said as he landed near the huge walls of the city.

Renard immediately raised his staff and aimed it at me after channeling his mana. Huge chunks of the debris around the ruined district were soon launched at me with tremendous force.

Noticing fluctuations of the mana in the area, I was easily able to identify where the attacks would come from. With some nimble footwork, I quickly managed to destroy all the debris that had been launched at me.

Dying Scarlet simply cut through the debris like it was mere butter. By the time I was done with Renard's attack, only small pebbles remained on the floor by my feet after a few swings of my scarlet scythe.

"Was this one of your countermeasures, Renard?" I asked in a playful manner as I started to spin my weapon once again.

"It certainly was just one of my countermeasures." Renard said as dusted his clothing. "Would you like to experience the rest?" He asked in return while observing me. He immediately charged his staff with more of his mana, causing all of my senses to raise the alarm.

Several smaller chunks of the debris that I had just cut with Remillia suddenly flew back in my direction at an incredible speed, almost as if they were meteorites.

I deflected the majority of the smaller rocks that aimed for my bracelet with Dying Scarlet, while I had to use [Fighting Spirit] to guard myself from the rest and reduce the damage to a minimum. I was successful on that end, as most of the rocks had missed my bracelet completely, but I had gotten hit by some of them in my right leg and left arm. Though, as I said, thanks to my aura the damage was not to hinder me in the slightest.

As some would say, 'tis but a scratch!

"This is far from over, Skull Kid." Renard's voice echoed ominously on the battlefield.

As I looked forward searching for my opponent, I noticed several bright lights shining over me as well as a dramatic increase in temperature. It didn't take long for me to spot the dozens upon dozens of huge fireballs that were about to rain down from the skies to the ruins below.

"Things are going to get interesting, aren't they, Remi?" I said to my weapon as I made a dash for one of the alleyways nearby.

<Why are you running, Master? If you use my abilities you should be able to stop that rain of fire and defeat that human with a single strike.> Remillia replied. She seemed rather confused about my choice.

"I know, Remi. Thanks to our training together, I have a clear idea of what I can or cannot do with you as my weapon. I know that I could stop this attack and finish it all by using your full power, but where would be the fun in that?" I said to my weapon. "I'm just hoping to teach Renard a little lesson as payback for defeating Myria. This is just me being childish and petty. I am also trying to push myself as far as I can in this situation, so there's that too." I smiled while getting through all the debris as well as the falling fireballs in my path.

And also, I want to enjoy this duel to the fullest.

With Dying Scarlet in my hands, I was able to easily cut through the fireballs that got too close for comfort.

"You didn't strike me as someone who would run away, Skull Kid! What's the matter? Are you trying to come up with a clever plan perhaps? Allow me to put that effort to waste!" Renard's voice echoed through the battlefield while his mana began to surge exponentially.

Soon enough, on top of the debris that was already on the alleyways and the huge fireballs, I now had to deal with a rain of falling meteorites.

Renard had used some of the ruins nearby and tossed several stones into the skies way above the walls of Mutm. It was only a matter of seconds before those rocks began to ferociously pummel the battlefield.

"Hehehe! Bring it on! The more attacks you launch the better!" Even though it might have looked like I was overwhelmed by the incoming attacks, I was having the excitement of a lifetime. 

I wanted my abilities to be pushed to their absolute limits, and Renard seemed like he would be able to do just that. There's no way I wouldn't be excited about it.

Thus, I continued to traverse the alleyways of the Ruined District while dodging and more often than not destroying everything my opponent decided to throw at me.

<Worthless!> Remillia said as I cut through a few of the larger meteorites in my path.

My opponent's attacks were easy enough to block, all thanks to Remillia's sharp edge of course.

While I was having a thrilling time cutting down everything in my path and making my way through the ruins, the alleyway I was traversing suddenly became a dead end.

"You are right where I wanted you to be, Skull Kid." Renard's voice echoed once more on the battlefield. "I've seen enough of your skills with that scythe. This should be more than enough to take you down." He said with an ominous tone.

As soon as Renard spoke again, the sound of water crashing down against the ground quickly reached my ears. It didn't take long before a huge wave came into view. The wave submerged and swallowed everything in its path with ease. It was needless to say that it was aimed to drown me.

But it wasn't just the huge wave that was threatening me, even more meteorites and fireballs had started to pour down from the sky, all of which were obviously aimed at me as well. It was an elemental bombardment.

"As expected of the future Duke of Caprasania. I must admit that this is getting more and more exciting by the second!" I smiled fearlessly as I watched the spells coming closer and closer to me. "But I am afraid that you have barely seen what I can do!" My smile grew as I immediately took a stance with Dying Scarlet hidden behind me.

It was time for me to finally show off the power I gained thanks to the Jobs I picked in the days leading to the tournament.

"First Dance: Vermilion Moon." Within a moment's notice, I swung Dying Scarlet and launched four powerful strikes to repel my opponent's magical bombardment.

With only those four strikes, each filled with considerable amounts of my mana, it was enough to put an end to Renard's attacks. The huge tsunami was completely evaporated within a second, while the fireballs and the meteorites were simply erased out of existence immediately after.

But that was not the full extent of my abilities. With my counterattack, I had also erased all the debris and the ruins in front of me, making Renard fully visible to me.

Renard stood there with a mix of confusion and worry in his face.

"It seems that there was no need for a clever plan this time around." I said to my opponent with a bit of sarcasm. "Now what? I hope that wasn't all you got." I said as I spun Dying Scarlet around before holding it over my shoulder.

"Naturally, that is not the case." Renard shook his head in denial. "This was nothing but a minor setback. You only delayed the inevitable." He said as he adjusted his glasses.

"I'm very glad then." I smiled in response.

"We'll see if you feel the same after this duel is over." He replied as he raised his staff and aimed at me.

As soon as Renard's staff was sufficiently charged, a rain of pebbles and small stones were shot in my direction almost like bullets.

In this kind of situation was exactly where one of my new jobs shone best.

With some nimble footwork, I was easily able to dodge each and every stone without ever having to swing my weapon to block the rapid attacks.

As soon as the attack was over, I remained on the same spot, showing my opponent a confident smirk as an attempt to provoke him.

With the help of the goddesses, instead of having to use a special crystal, I was able to acquire 3 different Jobs that suit my current combat style very well.

In this world Jobs work exactly as you would imagine, they grant exclusive bonuses, spells, abilities and depending on the case, they also provide unique progression paths, just like they do in those classic RPG games back on Earth.

The one I just used was Bladedancer, a job which grants the user increased dexterity, maneuverability, improved footwork and better balance. Of course, it also provides enhanced proficiency with bladed weapons. This job was a unique variation of the Weapon Master job path that Lia allowed me to get.

So far, my new job has worked wonders in this tournament! As for the other two…-

"This is proving to be more problematic than I thought…" Renard frowned in response. His annoyed voice was enough to cut off my thoughts. “Perhaps it is time for me to fight seriously.” He said with determination before adjusting his glasses.

“Finally, it was about time you stopped playing around, you know?” I replied in an overly exaggerated manner. I was making sure to put Tiria’s lessons in trash talking to good use.

“Careful with what you wish for, Skull Kid.” Renard was unamused with my antics. “If it wasn’t for these bracelets and if we were fighting a normal duel instead, I can assure you that your death would have been inevitable. Luckily for both of us, that isn’t the case. Thus I can use as much of my power as I want without killing you, so I must admit that I’m glad that I don’t have to carry your blood in my hands.” Renard spoke with pride and a fair bit of overconfidence.

“I wonder about that, My Lord…” I acted confused. “I must honestly say that talking about murdering a child in a duel is a bit distasteful. Though, if such a duel ever came to be, I can assure you that the Goddess Skell would be receiving you in her guest hall within seconds.” I smiled fearlessly at Renard.

Renard and I both smiled at each other for a moment, almost as if we had just been joking around as if we were close friends. There was no hostility between us but the atmosphere in the area was very tense. The sounds of rubble falling from the debris left by our previous clashes could be heard from all over the battlefield.

But then, in the blink of an eye, our smiles disappeared and determined expressions took their place. I was not giving Renard the opportunity to go on the offensive again.

“Let’s see how you handle this!” I said as I dashed towards Renard using my full speed.

As a response to me lunging towards him, Renard reacted by launching a wide variety of spells from all elements to halt my advance. Dozens of deadly wind blades, several blazing fireballs, hundreds of small pebbles that resembled bullets, and even hundreds of sharp freezing icicles… All those spells were in my path to reach Renard.

"[Second Dance: Crimson Eclipse]." I muttered the name of my technique as everything around me became a red blur.

I had increased my speed even more than before with this technique. Filling the edge of my scythe, I pressed further without hesitation. I masterfully dodged each of the incoming attacks while only using Dying Scarlet to destroy the spells I could not avoid.

With a single slash of my scythe, I was able to cause a magical explosion right behind me using the mana I had gathered in my weapon. Thus, by taking advantage of the explosion, I was able to catapult myself towards my opponent.

In the blink of an eye, the distance between us was completely erased. He was at my mercy.

As soon as I reached him, I swung down my weapon at him again while aiming at his neck. Renard was barely able to block my attack in time with his staff. He had a shocked expression on his face.

However, that block came at a prize. With all the momentum I had gained before attacking him, Renard was pushed back several meters the moment our weapons came into contact. He had barely managed to stop himself by using earth magic on his feet as well as a barrier to help him absorb the impact of my attack.

As a result, Renard was presently with his back against the huge walls of the city, all the while my scarlet scythe threatened to cut him down.

"Hehe. That was a nice block." I gave him a genuine compliment while pushing my weapon against his staff.

"That was a close call… Troublesome is certainly a fitting word to describe you." Renard said while gritting his teeth. He clearly was giving all of his strength just to keep me at bay. "But I will not fall easily. I am the heir of Caprasania and I will not be defeated here." He said as he held his staff with one hand and pointed his remaining hand directly at my face.

Soon after his hand filled with mana and what seemed to be an extremely powerful fireball was created out of thin air. It obviously had one clear purpose, to turn my face into a charred skull. 

Thank the gods that we are wearing the protective bracelets… Hmm, I might as well risk it and give that a try. Worst case scenario, I'll have to use a barrier to mitigate the damage.

Having made up my mind, I stretched one of my hands at the fireball Renard had created and then focused.

I just needed to focus on disrupting the flow of his mana… If I manage to do it for long enough, his whole spell will fall apart.

"Wait… Are you kidding me? My power… My spell…" Renard looked at me completely flabbergasted.

Renard stood there agast while watching how his fireball flickered and then simply ceased to exist.

This was an opportunity created by a new ability I learned due to the second Job I got. Being a Sage seems to have more benefits than I thought.

Of course, I didn't allow the opportunity to slip through my fingers. Immediately after canceling Renard's spell, I quickly parried his staff to disarm him before hitting in the stomach with the blunt end of Dying Scarlet. His staff had fallen a few meters away from us. All that of course, was followed shortly after by a flying kick to the face before he could even make a sound.

Unfortunately, even though I had managed to catch him by surprise, Renard was able to defend himself from the kick by casting a barrier. As soon as I tried to follow up with another attack, this time with the business end of my scythe, Renard disappeared. He had rapidly teleported away.

"A ring of teleportation… I see. Isn't he a clever one? For a moment I almost thought he was also a spatial magician." I said after I looked at the ground and found the pieces of a shattered ring.

It didn’t take long for me to notice that the staff he had unwillingly left on the ground was now flying in a certain direction.

“And there he is. I thought we would have to play hide-and-seek for a bit, but I guess I was wrong.” I said as I leaned against my scythe.

My opponent had chosen to appear in a place a few hundred meters away from me. This particular place was an old crumbling watchtower at the edge of the Ruined District. I was able to catch a glimpse of the moment where Renard caught his staff.

While he stood at the top of the abandoned watchtower, he seemed to be in pain and somewhat angry, all due to my previous attacks. Still, that didn't deter him from pouring obnoxious amounts of mana in his staff.

"It seems the future duke is still eager to fight!" I smiled with relief after knowing that the duel wasn't over yet. "Let's continue giving our all, Remi." I said to my weapon.

<Yes, master. Let us show the world our full combined might!> Remillia said, still eager to fight just like I was.

I then looked once more at my opponent and prepared to advance. In the blink of an eye, he had launched another storm of spells in my direction.

While stone and fire fell from the sky and molten lava rose from the ground accompanied by huge tidal waves, several tornadoes were formed all over the Ruined District.

In other words, it was a perfect elemental storm. A feat that only a handful of capable magicians could pull off when they had a clear mastery of elemental magic.

"Heh. Let's see if you can pull off another clever escape, Renard." I said as I smiled fearlessly. "The fun is only about to begin." I couldn't help but get more and more excited as I looked at the incoming attacks.

With no hesitation whatsoever, I grasped the shaft of my scythe and dashed to meet my opponent in battle once again.

Chapter 78: Might and Magic (Part I)

END

EXTRA: Renard’s Status

Name: Renard Arnault Caprasania

Race: Human

Age: 15 years old 

Ability Points: 9,100 points

Titles: High Noble / Heir of Caprasania / Renowned Elementalist / Elusive Magician / Alberis’s Shadow / Clever Tactician /

Jobs: Magical Prodigy Lv.2 / Elementalist Lv.10 - MAX / Sage Apprentice Lv.2 / Destructive Magician Lv.4

Level: 56

EXP: 304 / 66,052  

Attributes

HP: 5,201

MP: 15,950

DEX: 340

STR: 206

VIT: 3,101

DEF: 180

RES: 460

LUCK: 137

SPD: 101

INT: 186

Common Skills 

Hunting / Level 5

Riding / Level 9 

Dancing / Level 4

Singing / Level 3

Enhance Mind / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Combat

Archery / Level 1

Armed Combat: Staff / Level 8

Evasive Maneuvers  / Level 3

Fighting Spirit / Level 9

Unarmed Combat / Level 2

Second Wind / Level 5

Advanced Combat Tactics / Level 7

Magic

Mana Manipulation / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL! 

Mana Perception / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Magic: Earth Element / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Magic: Fire Element / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Magic: Wind Element / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Magic: Water Element / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Magic: Light Element / Level 4

Magic: Dark Element / Level 3

Superior Magical Attack / Level 6

Devastating Magic / Level 2

Resistances

Elemental Resistance: Earth / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Elemental Resistance: Fire / Level 8

Elemental Resistance: Wind / Level 8

Elemental Resistance: Water / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Elemental Resistance: Light / Level 3

Elemental Resistance: Dark / Level 2

Pain Resist / Level 6

Paralysis Resist / Level 7

Poison Resist / Level 7

Fear Resist/ Level 5

GodlyKamui

Heya! It's me making my triumphant return to Scribble Hub after an unfortunate unplanned hiatus. How are y'all doing? First, I guess I should start by apologizing for being missing for a good while... As I stated on my previous notice, I was very sick at the time and it took me a long time to recover. I would have liked to return sooner or to finish this particular chapter earlier as well, but unfortunately life sometimes just throws random stuff at you just because it can.

Apart from my previous sickness, things have been going fairly well for me. I got a new pc, so I am now part of the PC master race club. I am also obsessed with the new zelda game. Of course, things have been gotten busier for me at work too, so I don't have a lot of time to enjoy my new pc or zelda, or writing in general, sadly. Still, I shall try my absolute best to keep publishing a chapter every week.

Thank you very much for your good wishes on the previous notice and for waiting for me to return. I hope that y'all continue to read my novel in the future!

Gotta go play zelda now, peace! Kamui out!